Housing authority ponders dozen units behind Hemingway

Of all the high jinks that have occurred behind Hemingway Elementary School over the years, the Blaine County Housing Authority may be onto one that leaves adults, or at least supporters of affordable housing, beamingly proud.

The authority has been eyeing a basketball court, the little red shack next door and the brown two-story house on the other side, all to the east of Hemingway, for a deed-restricted housing project targeting low- to moderate-income households.

"It would be a great site for a high-density project," authority member Steve Horowitz said in a meeting Oct. 13.

The two houses sit in various states of ramshackle disrepair on a roughly three-quarter-acre parcel. The authority’s executive director Karl Fulmer said he thinks the area could hold somewhere between 12 and 16 units, but is not certain if they will be offered for rent or ownership.

The city of Ketchum owns the two homes and the land underneath them, while the Blaine County School District owns the basketball court.

"The wheels are certainly in motion," Fulmer said, adding that the city of Ketchum stands behind pursuing examination of this project.

Superintendent of Schools Phil Homer said he anticipates meeting with Ketchum planners and the city housing commission to discuss the proposal, but has no further comment now.

Kate Parnes of the Blaine County School Board has more closely tracked this proposed project, and said, "I think we need to find some housing wherever we can."

The housing authority would put construction of the project out for private bid and would act primarily as a financing arm by issuing a tax-exempt municipal bond to fund development, Fulmer said, adding federal grant money will also be sought.

The grant money would allow the authority to have "nicer" units built that could be sold or rented for less than they’re worth, Fulmer said.

Aside from potential political opposition, several issues could stymie the proposal’s progress.

Parking is one.

Fulmer figured the units will average 1.5 cars each and, even if only 12 places end up being developed, 18 cars will have to fit around and underneath the project.

Due to its cost, underground parking is out of the question, Fulmer added.

Dealing with the basketball court between the houses adds further difficulty.

The basketball court land would probably have to be swapped with another lot elsewhere so neither Hemingway School nor Atkinson Park loses that resource, Fulmer said.

Superintendent Homer agreed, saying that since the basketball court is the only one of its kind at Atkinson Park, something should be worked out to replace it nearby.